The present invention relates generally to a commercial peeler, and more particularly, to a peeler having a removable liner.
Commercial peelers for peeling large quantities of food products such as potatoes are widely known. Such peelers typically include a cylindrical chamber for holding the food product and a rotary abrasive disc that turns in a circular motion at the lower boundary of the cylindrical chamber for abrading the outer layer of the food product. Commercial peelers may further include a top lid that can be opened to load new food product into the chamber for peeling, and a discharge door in the side of the chamber for removing food product that has been peeled.
An inner surface of the chamber is often provided with an abrasive to engage the food product during the peeling the operation. The abrasive surface typically does not itself perform a significant peeling function, but does assist in the peeling operation. By retarding the movement of the food product, the abrasive surface ensures relative motion between the food product and the rotating abrasive disc causing the outer layer of the food product to be abraded by the rotating disc. The engagement of the food product with the abrasive surface further causes the food product to turn during the peeling operation resulting in more even peeling with fewer flat spots.
In operation a plurality of a food product, such as potatoes, are loaded into the cylindrical chamber through the top lid. The abrasive disc at the lower boundary of the chamber is then rotated while in intimate contact with the potatoes. Once the peeling operation is completed, as determined by an operator or by the passage of a predetermined amount of time, the peeled potatoes may be removed through a discharge door in the side of the chamber. A fluid, such as water, may be sprayed into the cylindrical chamber before, during, or after the peeling operation to soften the outer layer of the food product and to rinse away the peelings.
In one aspect, a peeler includes a housing and a plastic liner that is removably positioned within the housing. The plastic liner includes an inwardly facing surface at least partially defining a chamber for holding product to be peeled when the liner is positioned within the housing. The inwardly facing surface of the plastic liner has a rough texture for contacting product within the chamber during peeling and the plastic liner is biased outwardly toward an inner surface of the housing when positioned therein.
In another aspect, a peeler includes a housing and a liner removably positioned within the housing. The liner includes an inwardly facing surface having a rough texture, the inwardly facing surface at least partially defining a lateral boundary of a chamber for holding product to be peeled when the liner is positioned within the housing. The liner is formed into at least a partial cylinder having a normal outer diameter when removed from the housing, the normal outer diameter being slightly greater than an inner diameter of the housing such that the liner is at least slightly compressed when positioned within the housing.
In a further aspect, a liner installable in a housing of a peeler where the housing includes an opening therethrough is provided. The liner is formed by a thin-walled plastic unit having at least one side with a rough texture for positioning inwardly when the unit is installed. At least one keeper member is provided on the unit and located for positioning through the housing opening when the unit is installed.
In yet another aspect, a method for manufacturing a peeling unit involves the steps of: (a) bending a plastic sheet having a first side and a second side, the first side having a rough texture, the bending operation including bending the thermoplastic sheet into a curved configuration with the first side facing inwardly; and (b) positioning the bent plastic sheet within a housing to cover at least a portion of a substantially cylindrical interior surface of the housing.